{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/social-security-act-1975/schedule-20",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/social-security-act-1975/schedule-20.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1975/14",
  "legislation_title": "Social Security Act 1975",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/social-security-act-1975",
  "path": "schedule/20",
  "kind": "schedule",
  "number": "20",
  "heading": "Glossary of Expressions",
  "text": "Expression\nMeaning\n\" The 1973 Act \"\nThe 1973 c. 38.Social Security Act 1973.\n\" Age \"\nFor purposes of this Act, a person—\n(a) is over or under a particular age if he has or, as the case may be, has not attained that age;\n(b) is between two particular ages if he has attained the first but not the second.\n\" Assessed \" (in relation to extent of disablement).\nAssessed in accordance with Schedule 8.\n\" Beneficiary \"\nIn relation to any benefit, the person entitled to that benefit.\n\" Benefit \"\nBenefit under this Act or (as respects any period before 6th April 1975) under—\n(a) the National Insurance Act 1946 or 1965, or\n(b) the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act 1946 or 1965.\n\" Benefit year \"\nSee section 13(7).\n\" Capable of work \"\nSee section 17(1).\n\" Child \"; \" child of family \"\n\" Child \" means a person who would be treated as a child for the purposes of the Family Allowances Act.\nA person has, for the purposes of this Act, a family which includes a child or children if that person (not being a child) and a child or children (with or without a wife or husband of that person) would be treated for the purposes of the Family Allowances Act as constituting a family; and references to a child of a person's family are to be construed accordingly.\n\" Claim \"\nConstrue in accordance with \" claimant\" (below).\n\" Claimant \" (in relation to contributions under Part I and to benefit under Part II Chapters I to III).\nA person whose right to be excepted from liability to pay, or to have his liability deferred for, or to be credited with, a contribution, is in question; a person who has claimed benefit.\nThe expression includes, in relation to an award or decision, a beneficiary under the award or affected by the decision.\n\" Claimant \" (in relation to industrial injuries benefit).\nA person who has claimed industrial injuries benefit.\nThe expression includes—\n(a) an applicant for a declaration under section 107 that an accident was or was not an industrial accident; and\n(b) in relation to an award or decision, a beneficiary under the award or affected by the decision.\n\" Commissioner \"\nThe Chief National Insurance Commissioner, or any other National Insurance Commissioner.\nThe expression includes a tribunal of 3 Commissioners constituted under section 116.\n\" Confinement \"; \" date of confinement \"; \" confined \".\nSee section 23(1).\n\" Contract of service \"\nAny contract of service or apprenticeship, whether written or oral and whether expressed or implied.\n\" Contribution card \"\nSee section 146(4).\n\" Current \" (in relation to the lower and upper earnings limits under section 4(1)).\nFor the time being in force.\n\" Day of incapacity for work \".\nSee section 17.\n\" Day of interruption of employment \".\n\" The deceased \" (in relation to industrial death benefit).\nThe person in respect of whose death the benefit is claimed or payable.\n\" Disablement questions \"\nSee section 108.\n\" Earner \" and \" earnings \"\nSee section 3.\n\" Earnings factor \"\nSee section 13.\n\" Employed \"\nConstrue in accordance with \"employment \" below (except in the expression \" employed earner \").\n\" Employed earner \"\nConstrue in accordance with sections 2 and 51 and regulations under those sections.\n\" Employment \"\nIncludes any trade, business, profession, office or vocation.\n\" Family allowance \"\nAn allowance under the Family Allowances Act.\n\" The Family Allowances Act \".\nThe 1965 c. 53.Family Allowances Act 1965.\n\" The former Industrial Injuries Act \".\nThe 1965 c. 52.National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act 1965.\n\" The former principal Act \"\nThe 1965 c. 51.National Insurance Act 1965.\n\" Friendly society \"\nA society registered as a friendly society under the 1974 c. 46.Friendly Societies Act 1974—\n(a) being a society which, as part of its ordinary business, provides benefits during sickness or other infirmity, or in old age, or in widowhood, or for orphans,\n(b) not being a collecting society within the meaning of the 1923 c. 8.Industrial Assurance Act 1923.\n\" Hovercraft \"\nA vehicle which is designed to be supported when in motion wholly or partly by air expelled from the vehicle to form a cushion of which the boundaries include the ground, water or other surface beneath the vehicle.\n\" Incapable of work \" and \" incapacity for work \"\nSee sections 17(1), 36(7) and 56(2).\n\" Incapable of self-support \"\nA person is \" incapable of self-support\" if (but only if) he is incapable of supporting himself by reason of physical or mental infirmity and is likely to remain so incapable for a prolonged period.\nHe is \" permanently incapable of self-support\" if (but only if) he is incapable of supporting himself by that reason, and is likely to remain so incapable for the remainder of his life.\n\" Industrial death benefit \"\nIndustrial injuries benefit in respect of a person's death.\n\" Industrial injuries benefit \"\nBenefit under Part II, Chapter IV or V.\n\" The Inland Revenue \"\nThe Commissioners of Inland Revenue.\n\" Late husband \"\nA reference to a woman's late husband, in relation to a woman who has been more than once married, is to her last husband.\n\" Living with \"; \" living together \".\nA man and his wife shall not be deemed to be living otherwise than together unless—\n(a) they are permanently living in separation either by agreement or under an order of a court, or\n(b) one of them has deserted the other and the separation incident to the desertion has not come to an end.\n\" Local office \"\nAny office appointed by the Secretary of State as a local office for the purposes of this Act.\n\" Lower earnings limit \"; \" upper earnings limit \".\nReferences to these limits are to the lower and upper limits referred to in section 4(1).\nReferences to the lower or upper earnings limit of a tax year are to whatever is (or was) for that year the limit in force under section 4(1).\n\" Medical examination \"\nThe expression includes bacteriological and radiographical tests and similar investigations; construe \"medically examined\" accordingly.\n\" Medical practitioner \"\nA registered medical practitioner. The expression includes a person outside the United Kingdom who is not a registered medical practitioner, but has qualifications corresponding (in the Secretary of State's opinion) to those of a registered medical practitioner.\n\" Medical treatment \"\nMedical, surgical or rehabilitative treatment (including any course of diet or other regimen); references to a person receiving or submitting himself to medical treatment to be construed accordingly.\n\" The Northern Ireland Department \".\nThe Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland.\n\" The Old Cases Act \"\nThe 1975 c. 16.Industrial Injuries and Diseases (Old Cases) Act 1975.\n\" Pensionable age \"\nIn the case of a man, 65; in the case of a woman, 60.\n\" Pneumoconiosis \"\nFibrosis of the lungs due to silica dust, asbestos dust or other dust. The expression includes the condition of the lungs known as dust-reticulation.\n\" Prescribe \"\nPrescribe by regulations.\n\" Procedure regulations \"\nRegulations under section 115.\n\" Regulations \"\nRegulations made by the Secretary of State under this Act.\n\" Relative \"\nIncludes a person who is a relative by marriage or adoption and a person who would be a relative if some person born illegitimate had been born legitimate (subject however to sections 44(6), 47(1), 66(8) and 72(6) as respects the meaning of \" relative \" in those sections).\n\" Relevant accident \"\nThe accident in respect of which industrial injuries benefit is claimed or payable.\n\" Relevant injury \"\nThe injury in respect of which industrial injuries benefit is claimed or payable.\n\" Relevant loss of faculty \"\nThe loss of faculty resulting from the relevant injury.\n\" Residing with \"; \" residing together \".\nTwo persons shall not be deemed to have ceased to reside together by reason of any temporary absence of either or both of them, and in particular by reason—\n(a) of any such absence at school or while receiving medical treatment as an in-patient in a hospital or similar institution, or\n(b) of any absence of either or both of them in such circumstances as may be prescribed.\n\" Reserve Pension Fund \"\nThe Fund established under Part III of the 1973 Act.\n\" Reserve scheme contributions \" ; \" reserve scheme premiums \".\nThe contributions and premiums payable under Part III of the 1973 Act.\n\" School-leaving age \"\nFor purposes of this Act, a person has attained (or not attained) school-leaving age if he would be treated as being over (or under) the upper limit of compulsory school age for purposes of the Family Allowances Act (disregarding regulations under section 2 of the 1967 c. 90.Family Allowances and National Insurance Act 1967).\n\" Self-employed earner \"\nConstrue in accordance with section 2.\n\" Short-term benefit \"\nUnemployment benefit, sickness benefit, maternity grant, maternity allowance and widow's allowance.\n\" Supplementary scheme \"\nA scheme under section 158.\n\" Tax week \"\nOne of the successive periods in a tax year beginning with the first day of that year and every 7th day thereafter; the last day of a tax year (or, in the case of a tax year ending in a leap year, the last 2 days) to be treated accordingly as a separate tax week.\n\" Tax year \"\nThe 12 months beginning with 6th April in any year.\n\" Trade or business \"\nFor purposes of this Act, the exercise and performance of the powers and duties of a public or local authority are to be treated as the trade or business of the authority.\n\" Trade union \"\nAn association of employed earners.\n\" Unemployability supplement \".\nIncrease of a disablement pension under section 58.\n\" Upper earnings limit \"\nSee \" lower earnings limit\" and \" upper earnings limit\" (above).\n\" Up-rating order \"\nAn order made by the Secretary of State under section 124.\n\" Week \"\nA period of 7 days beginning with midnight between Saturday and Sunday, except (in sections 17(1)(d), 20, 30(1) and 45(3)) where the expression is otherwise defined.\n\" Working life \"\nSee section 27(2).",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1975/14/schedule/20",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T10:40:38.067895+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}